If you want to see London, see it from the river. And for a unique view of London, there's nothing quite like taking a ride in a Rigid Inflatable Boat. Skipping along the Thames in an orange inflatable is a great way of seeing the sights, at speed. It's also a great way of emptying your wallet. Twenty-six quid, for 40 minutes? It had better be good. Thankfully I was able to take advantage of a friend's Christmas gift voucher (trip for two, expires imminently, can you come?), so my bank balance remained intact. But yes, it was good anyway.
London RIB Voyages is the brainchild of a former City stockbroker with a taste for high-speed river boating. His company now owns two 12-seater craft, moored up at the pier beneath the London Eye, and that's where we rolled up yesterday afternoon. Our tour guide offered us fetching red waterproof fleeces to wear, along with a compulsory lifejacket, and held our hand as we boarded the narrow fluorescent craft. Useful tip - if you book early, you get the front seats (like what we did, much to the obvious annoyance of the small child sat behind). Each voyage varies according to the tide, but we started by nipping across the river for a close-up look at the Palace of Westminster's waterfront terrace. Our guide had a wonderful line in dry humour, and an effortless linguistic talent. When he described the trees on the Albert Embankment as showing "the first amber blush of autumn", I knew we were in for an entertaining ride.
And then we were off, downriver, just the 12 of us. Nothing excessively fast to begin with, but still noticeably speedier than the usual Thames tourist cruisers chugging by. From Westminster to the Tower we enjoyed a quick-witted tourist commentary, and a slightly different view of central London from a bit lower in the water than usual. And then, after passing beneath Tower Bridge, our guide retreated to the back of the boat and allowed the pilot to let rip. Woooo. The boat curved effortlessly between the banks, tipping one way and then the other, and splashing us all with frothy Thames water. I reassured myself that the river's a lot cleaner than it used to be (I hope). There wasn't a single other boat in the Thames between Wapping and Limehouse, so we were treated to an unobstructed virtuoso performance.
At the far end of the journey, with the towers of Canary Wharf now in view, we were spun round at speed in a whitewater 180° turn. Oh how we smiled, and yelped, and laughed. I'm not sure that the riverside residents of Limehouse and Rotherhithe enjoy the spectacle quite so much, not twice an hour five times a day, but for us on board it was an exhilarating experience. And then we were back to gliding merely "quite fast", back through the Pool of London and beneath Tower Bridge. Our boat made light work of the two miles back to the Eye, with one last half-turn flourish at Westminster before docking. It had been a bit like a normal tourist trip, significantly speeded up, but with five minutes of Alton Towers tagged on in the middle. I'd therefore heartily recommend a RIB voyage, should you have £26 to burn (but you might prefer to hope that someone buys you a trip for Christmas).
If you want to see London, see it from the river. And for a unique view of London, there's nothing quite like taking a ride in a Rigid Inflatable Boat. Skipping along the Thames in an orange inflatable is a great way of seeing the sights, at speed. It's also a great way of emptying your wallet. Twenty-six quid, for 40 minutes? It had better be good. Thankfully I was able to take advantage of a friend's Christmas gift voucher (trip for two, expires imminently, can you come?), so my bank balance remained intact. But yes, it was good anyway.
And then we were off, downriver, just the 12 of us. Nothing excessively fast to begin with, but still noticeably speedier than the usual Thames tourist cruisers chugging by. From Westminster to the Tower we enjoyed a quick-witted tourist commentary, and a slightly different view of central London from a bit lower in the water than usual. And then, after passing beneath Tower Bridge, our guide retreated to the back of the boat and allowed the pilot to let rip. Woooo. The boat curved effortlessly between the banks, tipping one way and then the other, and splashing us all with frothy Thames water. I reassured myself that the river's a lot cleaner than it used to be (I hope). There wasn't a single other boat in the Thames between Wapping and Limehouse, so we were treated to an unobstructed virtuoso performance.
